The poetry of Banjo Paterson set to the music of Coldplay accompanied by contemporary dance - director Tim Maddren admits his theatrical production 'Banjo' sounds pretty eclectic at first.
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But scratch a little deeper and some common themes begin to emerge.
Telling the story of Banjo Paterson's life, the production takes the famed Australian poet's preoccupation with the city and the bush and adds a modern twist.
Following a move to Port Macquarie with his wife two years ago, Maddren, who'd left behind a strong performance career in Sydney, said he was inspired to create the production after reading Paterson's 'Clancy of the Overflow' and connecting with it so personally.
"Even though it was written 130 years ago, it really spoke to me," he said.
From there, he sought to incorporate contemporary dance into the performance and knew Coldplay's music worked well with dance.
But it wasn't until he examined the group's songs and lyrics that he discovered the music fit with the story a lot more intimately than he would've thought.
"Coldplay has the same urban torment in their music," he said.
"It fits really well."
With a cast of six, including 2016 Australian Busker of the Year, Mat Brooker, on guitar, the production premiered last year at The Glasshouse in Port Macquarie to a surprising reaction.
"We got a number of standing ovations," he said.
"We thought it was a good show, but we didn't know it would be so touching for people."
Maddren believed the themes of city versus country, drought and mateship really resonated with people in this day and age.
Now, thanks to a community touring grant provided by the New South Wales government, the group are taking their production to regional cities all around the State, starting at the Tuncurry Memorial Hall on the evening of March 23.
Moreover, they're subverting the typical touring route of a theatrical production in a way that feels very true to the themes of 'Banjo'.
"No one tours regionally before they go to the cities," Maddren said.
"But this grant is allowing us to take greater risks by getting our production outside of mainstream theatre houses and into community venues.
"We're really excited."
Tickets are available at the door or online.
